Sill and post structure for automobile bodies



P 1954 A. R. LINDSAY 2,689,765

SILL AND POST STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMOBILE BODIES Original Filed May 27, 1948 i8 INVENTOR.

Z6 By fl lexander R Lmdsay WQ,M

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1954 rarer SILL AND POST STRUCTURE FOR AUTOMOBILE BODIES Alexander R. Lindsay,

Detroit, Mich, assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application May 27, 1948, Serial No.

29,457. Divided and this application November 30, 1950, Serial No. 198,276

Claims.

The invention relates to automobile bodies particularly of the self -supporting or combined chassis and body underframe type.

Mor particularly, the invention relates to im provements in the structure for private-passenger cars.

Among the objects of the invention is a body which is easy to manufacture, which is strong and durable yet light of weight, in which the stresses from the posts and Side panels are effectively transferred into the underframe, and which has a pleasing appearance.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by a novel formation and arrangement of parts which will be easily and completely understood from the embodiment described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the attached drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile;

Figure 2 is a larger scale side elevation of the body portion surrounded by line 2 of Figure l, the outer threshold panel being partly cut away and the door being omitted;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section along line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal fragmentary section on the scale of Figure 3 along lines 4-4 of Figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section on the scale of Figures 2 to 4 through threshold and lower margin of the door taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1.

The automobile diagrammatically illustrated in the drawing is of the type which acts as its own chassis, or in which at least the body underframe and the chassis frame are combined into one single structure. While the invention is mostly concerned with the combined chassis and underframe structure, it is worth mentioning that preferably the upright portions of the body walls, including the front fenders and wheel housings ID, the cowl II, the rear quarter panels I2, and the rear wheel housings and fenders I3, as well as the roof M, form an integral structure with the underframe and, together with the latter, serve for sustaining and transmitting all stresses. This unitary structure is supported on the front and rear wheels I5, It by means of springs, of which only the rear springs ll are shown,

This application is a division of the inventors copending original application: Serial No. 9,457, filed May 27, 1948, Rear End Construction of Self-Supporting Automobile Bodies, now Patent No. 2,662,793, issued December 15, .1953. This application includes certain details also disclosed in the inventors copencling application Serial No. 29,458, Self-Supporting Bodies for Automobiles, filed May 27, 1948. These applications disclose in greater detail and are directed to the structures of the body in the front and rear regions.

Floor panel It extends across the width of the body between threshold or side sill structures l9. Structure I 9 on each side of the body comprises an outer panel member 20 and an inner member 2| connected along their margins to form a boxsection. Sills I9 are connected with the margins of the floor panel It. The sides of cowl l l and the rear quarter panels l2 are secured to the tops of the sill members 20 and to the posts 22 and 23.

The side sill or threshold l9 on each side of the body has its outer stamping 2d of inwardly facing channel section provided with merging outer and bottom walls 24, inwardly directed top Wall 25, and a narrow lower inner vertical wall extension 26. In the regions of cowl III and rear quarter panel l2, the inner margin of wall 25 has an upwardly directed flange 27!. The wall extension 26 has an inwardly projecting flange 28 throughout its length. Inner sill member 2! is inserted between the margins of Walls 25 and 255 of outer member 2|] and has an upper inwardly facing channel portion 29 to the upper wall of which the inner margin of wall 25 is secured in the threshold region (Figure 5), and the vertical wall of which is secured to the vertical flange 21 of wall 25 in the regions of cowl H and rear quarter panel l2 (Figure 3). A flange 30 along the lower margin of wall 2! is overlappingly secured to flange 28 of wall extension 26.

In the region of the openin for door 3|, floor panel l8 rests on and is secured by spot welding to the overlapping flanges 28 and 39 of the sill, Figure 5. In this region, it is easy to reach through the door opening to effect spot welds. In the region remote from the door opening, such as illustrated in Figure the floor panel rests on and is secured to a ledge 32 of sill member 2! which has its flange 39 in this region ofiset downwardly below the floor panel. With this arrangement, it is convenient to connect the flanges 23 and $0 in the regions away from the door opening by use of welding tools which do not require reaching into the interior of the body; furthermore, floor panel It and inner sill member 2| may be assembled in a first operation to form an underframe unit, and then such unit may be connected with units each comprising a rear quarter panel 52 and an outer threshold or sill member 20.

Through openings in top wall 25 rear or lock pillar 23 extends into the interior of threshold 59 and is secured to wall 2! by flanges 33 bent oif from the walls of the pillar. Transverse flanges34--=forme.d:along the margins of the-.opening in walls 25 overlap the side walls 23 of the pillars and are secured thereto. Pillar 23 is spaced from and not connected to outer wall24 of the side sill. This has the advantage that the lower end of the pillar and the outer wall of the sill need not be made to exactly the same shape and that the outer wall may. vbeirnade: ofa lighter material without the :danger of-abeing distorted in use by connections between it and the post. The front pillar connection (not ,shown) may be similar.

By means of inwardly directed flange 35, rear quarter panel l2 overlaps top wall 25 and is secured thereto.

Panel I2 and doorELH have beadings 3S, 3'!

:: formed along their lower margins. 'Overlap :flangertfi of thedoor is'outwardly offset relative :tozthe :outersurface.ofrz'sill Iii-so that no fitting c of'rtheidoor andxsill surfaces is. required. Front zwheel housing it :has a -similar beading :39. oBeadingsvSE;31.39am arranged inxcontinuation .of each: other and adjoin the .front "and rear .;pressionithatthe;car is'terminated by the .lower :xhorizontal marginiof' the .beadings.

:The outer :surface'of :the sill :member 24 .is :inwardlyoiisetwithrespect totthe lower margins "of saidrb-eadingsitfi, :31, fiasothatz the car gives :lthezimpression of:being defined at the'sbottom of the bumpers 40, It! and said continuous headings 136," 81,1a1'1d 1-39. "This inward oifsetting. also has further advantages. It permits the attachment ofa'the rearsquarter panel to the sill. .by inwardly idirectedflange 35-01? panel 12, an attachment -WhlChidO6ST10t require accurate fairing-in of pan'el and outer-sillsurface. Likewisa-the lower margin: of the door need. not be faired in the "outer-surface of the sill rnember 29. This fairingof adjoining separate body panels isarather tedious and "expensive job, especially in modern bodies With-their *very slightly curved surfaces.

Gonsequently, theelimination of the necessity for fairing-in panels along one or more margins -spe'l1s a substantial' saving.

In the illustratedembodiment, floor panel 18 '--is-downwardly-'ofiset with respect to the top of the side' sill or threshold structure 129 so that passengers would have tostepoverthe threshold "when entering or leaving the car. This steppingover is facilitated'and the largest possible unobstructed floor space is obtained by'the arrange- *ment-of threshold or side sill i9 beneath door 3 I The drawings indicate that the illustrated structures-consistof sheet metal-*stampings and "that the-component sheet'metal parts are overlappingly secured to each other by'electric spot welding. Also, itis apparent that the margins of "the different; parts are flanged for this purpose. "It is believed not necessary to describe in detail each of these overlapping connections and each of the fianges. While certain parts are described 'fororshown on only one side of the longitudinal vertical middle plane of the body, the body, in most places, symmetrical to such plane.

"Itis to :be understood that the invention is subject to modifications and adaptations. For ;-zexample;the-invention'or'certain features thereof may'.be;.employed at'the front endof a vehicle.

Vihat'ds claimed is:

1. In an automobile body, a box-sectional side .:'sill::having 1a first stamping forming the inner 4 upright wall and a second stamping forming the top wall and the outer wall of the sill, a door post extending through an opening in the top iwalliinto the-interior of-the sill andbeing secured to the outwardly facing surface of saidsinner wall while being freely spaced from the outer wall, whereby the lower end of said post and said outer wall may diifer in shape, and whereby said second stamping may be of lighter material than said "first stamping, without danger of distortion.

.1 2. In anautomobilebody, a closed box-sectional side-sill having upright inner and outer walls interconnected .by top and bottom walls, a post ata location remote from the ends of said sill .havingits lowerend inwardly tapered away from said outer wall and extended through an opening in said top wall into the interior of the sill and fastened there by its side and end margins to the outwardly facing surface of said inner wall '.'while' being spaced from-said outer :wall, :and a :side wall panel secured by one of its endtmargins to said post and bylaninwardlydirectediflange :alongzzits alower margin to said itop wall of said 'sill.

3. In an automobile body, forward and .rearaward side Vi/13111301110115, flanking.- a. door: opening, .a door in saidopening, a bottom side sill structure, forming a threshold, interconnecting said side 'xwall portions, extending between front and. rear "wheel locations and having ;an .outer :unbroken wall exposed to view in the finished'body, saidside ".wall portions being-secured to. the top of :said sill structure by:means .o'f :int-turnedmarginalflanges "along their .lower margins, said-side. wallpor'tions ".andsaid'idoorthaving theinouter surfaces;adjoin- :Izing-saidxs'ill outwardly-offset with respectfitorthe outer surface of said outerwallzof .thez'sillxstructure, the width of said offset zbeing in the .;order .of 1 the :thickness' ofv the customary over-lap'fiange .of the door and fairing adj oining i outer surfaces and the lower smarginsiof .said .wall .portions and isaididoor into each-other.

4. An automobile :bodyshaving .on each .side:

forward-and rearward side wallportions'flanking a door opening; a door in said opening; atfender longitudinally adj oiningiat '-least one of. said wall portions-and: having its lower .marginon the level with the lower margin of said wall portions; a bottom side sill 'and' threshold structurefextend- 1 ingbetween front .andrear "wheel locations, projecting downwardly below said: sidewall portions, having an outer wall exposed to view in thefinri'shedbody, andbeing securedi-to the llower margins of said side wall structures; a horizontal beading being formedon the lower marginal por- 'tions' of said wall portions, said door-and said wheel housing and being outwardly offset with respect'to the'outer surface of said outerwallof the sill structure.

5. In an automobile body according :to claim 4,

having at least at one end a transverse bumper arranged onthe level of and blended into said headings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES JPATENTS Number Name Date 1,143,987 Nelson June 22,1915 1,525,074 Heintz Feb. -3,- 1925 1,983,497 Henninger Dec. 4,1934 2,012,057 Swallow .Aug..20, 1935 2,102,402 .Zeder Dec. 14, 1937 2,389,907 Helmuth Nov.'2'7, 1945 

